Getting Started with Enterprise Architecture: A Practical and Pragmatic Approach to Learning the Basics of Enterprise Architecture First Edition

An excellent introduction to Enterprise Architecture, even for experienced professionalsThis book offers a clear and accessible introduction to the concept of Enterprise Architecture for beginners, while also providing valuable insights for more experienced professionals. It is richly illustrated, which makes it easy to read, and the pragmatic approach helps make the concepts easy to understand. A great starting point for anyone looking to grasp the fundamentals of Enterprise Architecture.

As an experienced Enterprise Architect, I highly recommend this book for anyone who needs a practical, pragmatic and highly useful introduction to and overview of the discipline of Enterprise Architecture (EA). For the novice, and for those who’ve spent years in the “EA Trenches”, the book’s examples, illustrations, tables, and Eric’s personal experiences provide a powerful foundation for EA understanding and collaboration. In particular, the Strategy to Execution alignment approach with senior management resonates with me, along with the highly practical and demystifying stakeholder engagement model of the EA Wheel (esp. when used in concert with TOGAF ADM).For more advanced EA shops, I appreciated the way that Eric referenced key BIZBOK Business Architecture aspects as part of EA, but arguably, I wish that he could have similarly referenced SABSA for Business-centric Security Architecture to better position Enterprise Security as both an EA Domain AND a cross-cutting concern. I am clearly biased, but I am also happy to see Eric’s final take that “ultimately, there is no one final or correct way to look at the domains of EA”. Perhaps an Architecture Domain Body of Knowledge treatment should be a topic for another book or follow-on insights?Again, I can highly recommend this comprehensive book on Enterprise Architecture!

In Eric Jager’s book, “Getting Started with Enterprise Architecture”, he takes the reader on a journey from setting the stage of Enterprise Architecture (EA) from the history to the current state and where it fits amongst other architectures. Once the stage is set, you dive into the practical steps of setting up an enterprise architecture. It is clear Eric has vast knowledge is setting up this practice in different organizations due to his examples given which is tremendously valuable for the reader as this book does not go through an academic, cookie cutter process that every organization should follow, but instead, understands that every organization is different and may have to begin at different points. The third phase he takes you on is then the next steps you can take once you have the architecture setup as it doesn’t stop there!Personally, I read this from the Business Architecture lens to widen my knowledge of what else would be helpful to implement and how. Eric made this book so relatable I instantly was pulled in to see the similarities in what I had setup for the business architecture and how it relates to pieces of the enterprise architecture. The EA Wheel brought to light my feelings on Documentation and Define being like the chicken and the egg – which came first?! In reality, as he states, you can start anywhere, as I did with mile wide and inch deep on Documentation and Define, and now use Control to track going back to Documentation and Define. I really dove in on Execute on Strategy for value and it opened my eyes to not just the overlap between business architecture and EA, but also the additional pieces I should review further for the most value!Overall, I highly recommend this book to both novice and experienced practitioners that want practical, real world insights on pieces to implement and mature in an enterprise architecture, as well as ideas on how to navigate steps the best way for your organization. Even if you are not implementing the enterprise architecture yourself, this book is highly beneficial for anyone that should be collaborating with EA or just wants to know more about the scope. Invest in yourself and take a journey in this book!

This book will provide you with an excellent foundation stone upon which to develop your understanding of Enterprise Architecture.If your organization’s experience with Enterprise Architecture has been haphazard and lacking much formal structure – this book can help introduce you to a holistic approach – and provide you with a step-by-step guide to implementing an Enterprise Architecture practice, based on established industry standards.This book assumes no prior knowledge of Enterprise Architecture – but introduces ideas that will be of interest to even experienced Enterprise Architects.

This book is fantastic! I shared it immediately with my colleagues, and they had very positive feedback.

We started our EA practice without a clear starting point or implementation strategy, and this book proved invaluable by offering a practical approach to understanding EA. It provides a lightweight and straightforward introduction without delving too deeply into the complexities of the TOGAF framework. With its balanced mix of theory, diagrams, and practical suggestions, this book is perfect for building a strong foundation in EA. An excellent and timely resource!